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The County Seat of Howell County
West Plains was originally platted by J.R. Woodside, surveyor. Levi Johnson and Milton Rippa were chairmen and Wm. Johnson was the flagman. The plat was approved on February 1, 1858, by W.H. Johnson, who was commissioner of the seat of justice, with J.S. Harris serving as clerk.
At the beginning of the Civil War, the population in West Plains was about 150, but by 1865, the town site was void of inhabitants or houses, having been burned by the guerillas in 1863.
Josephus Howell was a merchant in West Plains before the war. After peace had been declared, refugees began to return and new settlers began to arrive. Among the first to go into the mercantile business were Steve Woodworth, John Rice, B.B. Carter and R.W. Johnson. William Monks, who came to this county in 1844, was one of the early citizens after the war, owning property south of the spring He was engaged in the hotel business.
On August 16, 1883, West Plains became a city of the fourth class. Mayors of the city prior to 1905 included: Sam A. Risley, O.H.P. Catron, John Halstead, W.J. Zorn, J.C. Kerby, J.A. Truex, G.B. Thomas, Richard Ramsey, H.G. Doty, G.H. Cobb and C.F. Funkhosuer.
Postmasters for the city before 1905 included: Josephine Howell, Wm. Monks, Major Hines, S.D. Foster, S.A. Risley, L.G. Eblen, J.A. Truex, H.P. White, J.L. VanWormer and A.T. Hollenbeck.
According to the October 12, 1905, issue of the West Plains Weekly Jouranl, the population of West Plains at that time was about 3,200. West Plains is pleasantly located near the center of the county, at an attitude of 1,100 feet above sea level on the St. Louis & San Francisco railroad 110 miles southeast of Springfield. At that time, West Plains boasted of many handsome residences, substantial brick business houses, three banks, a large opera house, an electric light and water plant owned by the city, two large flouring mills, two planing mills and seven churches. There were five public school buildings including a new high school building built in 1904 at a cost of ten thousand dollars. In 1905, the school system employed 20 teachers. West Plains was also the home of good college, a public library, several good hotels, four newspapers and lodges of the various orders.
The 1905 Journal article states that "The city has general merchandise stores, drug stores, groceries, furniture stores and a wholesale grocery, all doing a good business.
West Plains is an important shipping point for flour, fruit, cattle, hogs, horses, mules, sheep, eggs, poultry, ore and cotton."